Anyone Here Own A Do It Yourself Car Wash?

[About2bite]

I don't know why but I have always thought something like this would be cool. There is a car wash in my area that has shut down and I was thinking that if I could somehow get a hold of the place it may be something that I could make work out pretty well.

I am just trying to see if there is anyone else who has gotten themselves into something like this and looking for some feedback.

The thing I think I would like to do is to make it a bit different from your average car wash, I would put my own little detailing booth in there and polish cars and what not as well. I was thinking that I could also sell detail products and install tint too. I would like to take the car wash idea and add to it, maybe make it a more inviting and enjoyable thing to do. Idk I have some crazy ideas that most of you would just laugh at, but it's something I have been throwing around since I saw the place close.

I would appreciate any input, if you would prefer to PM me please do so.

Thank :beer:

Josh

 

[canibus]

the first thing to think about would be how many people you would emply. From what you're discribing it sounds like it'll be too much work for one person.

 

[Outlaw99]

My uncle owns several. money earned from that helped him open a few Super Lube joints.

does pretty well for himself.

has 2 older vipers ( the blue with double stripe and a dingy red one )and collects corvettes. Also has a Grand National which is my Favorite.

 

[Zak Attack]

If you worked by yourself everyday from 9-5 or 6, then I think you could do it all yourself if you had like a drop off your car deal.

 

[VirtualSVT]

I have a customer that owns a badass one.

Home

He does very well for himself. He works Fulltime for GE and owns this. Basically the carwash pays for his cars and kids college.

 

[thomas91169]

i would love to own a detailing shop, but in this economy, the last thing people care about is their cars. Thats probably why the place failed in the first place.

And unless you are a master detailer and using something better than a PC, detailing is merely a side job. Full time you will need a staff and really good equipment to crank out the cars. Weekdays would be ultra slow, but weekends would rock, especially in the summer. Business would be mostly seasonal, so you would need to figure out a way to get them to come to you in the winter. I believe i have a great way of enticing people who do like to protect their ride to visit every 3-4mo during winter. However in AZ that might not be much of an issue.

Maybe as you grow you can hire body shop guys to do minor dent and scratch repairs, do some underbody recoating. If its a big enough shop, hell, make it all-in-one, do lube and detail. Call it "The Works" package, people drop off their car, come back 2-4hrs later and its fully detailed and lubed up. Then put them on some sort of protection plan where you schedule an appointment in 3mo to bring them back to maintain the level of protection and do routine checkups. Repeat business ftw.

 

[canibus]

I believe thomas has put some thought into this before, lol

 

[Seraphus]

Wow lots of daydreaming here . . .

i would love to own a detailing shop, but in this economy, the last thing people care about is their cars. Thats probably why the place failed in the first place.

Maybe as you grow you can hire body shop guys to do minor dent and scratch repairs, do some underbody recoating. If its a big enough shop, hell, make it all-in-one, do lube and detail. Call it "The Works" package, people drop off their car, come back 2-4hrs later and its fully detailed and lubed up. Then put them on some sort of protection plan where you schedule an appointment in 3mo to bring them back to maintain the level of protection and do routine checkups. Repeat business ftw.

What you said would be nice, have fun with the 345345 permits you're gonna need for all those businesses though. Specifically for undercoating, i dunno bout AZ but in Cali that requires a spraybooth with vent system. Lube, oild and such will require a mechanical permit. Scratches and so on will require BAR approval. Not to mention the things you'll need for chemical storage/disposal.

Far as the detail bsuiness VS economy; detailing a car is a luxury, a detail business should be a luxury business. Luxuries aren't really affected by the economy. This is all assuming you're a good detailer and a good businessman. I Know a few people with very good detail shops and they are still going strong wiht more cars than they can fit into their lots. People really need to stop using the economy as a crutch excuse.

Anywho, opening something similar here in SoCal is realistically looking at a 7 figure sum, i know this personally as my car wash will open in July if all goes well. Although mine isn't a self wash, it does have a detail shop, a market, mechanical bays and hopefully a gas station in the future. I'll also have a few bays out for lease which gives me guaranteed income for the term of the lease. This is something i'd suggest for your future investment should you go through with it. Although my land is bought and not leased so you'd have to see if your lease would allow that.

My uncle is doing essentially the same thing in Las Vegas, i just wish it was as easy here as it is there . . . :nonono:

 

[About2bite]

the first thing to think about would be how many people you would emply. From what you're discribing it sounds like it'll be too much work for one person.

Well I would run it at first and if it got to that point I would probably have my little brother work for me or some friends. I wouldn't start off with all the additions I was mentioning at first, but if the business was making money I would add to it slowly.

My uncle owns several. money earned from that helped him open a few Super Lube joints.

does pretty well for himself.

has 2 older vipers ( the blue with double stripe and a dingy red one )and collects corvettes. Also has a Grand National which is my Favorite.

Not bad at all, how does he like it?

If you worked by yourself everyday from 9-5 or 6, then I think you could do it all yourself if you had like a drop off your car deal.

It would be a do it yourelf car wash but if they wanted the car detailed they would have to drop it off for me.

I have a customer that owns a badass one.

Home

He does very well for himself. He works Fulltime for GE and owns this. Basically the carwash pays for his cars and kids college.

Very nice :rockon:

i would love to own a detailing shop, but in this economy, the last thing people care about is their cars. Thats probably why the place failed in the first place.

And unless you are a master detailer and using something better than a PC, detailing is merely a side job. Full time you will need a staff and really good equipment to crank out the cars. Weekdays would be ultra slow, but weekends would rock, especially in the summer. Business would be mostly seasonal, so you would need to figure out a way to get them to come to you in the winter. I believe i have a great way of enticing people who do like to protect their ride to visit every 3-4mo during winter. However in AZ that might not be much of an issue.

Maybe as you grow you can hire body shop guys to do minor dent and scratch repairs, do some underbody recoating. If its a big enough shop, hell, make it all-in-one, do lube and detail. Call it "The Works" package, people drop off their car, come back 2-4hrs later and its fully detailed and lubed up. Then put them on some sort of protection plan where you schedule an appointment in 3mo to bring them back to maintain the level of protection and do routine checkups. Repeat business ftw.

Good ideas, I'm liking the feedback

I believe thomas has put some thought into this before, lol

I concur :beer:

Wow lots of daydreaming here . . .




What you said would be nice, have fun with the 345345 permits you're gonna need for all those businesses though. Specifically for undercoating, i dunno bout AZ but in Cali that requires a spraybooth with vent system. Lube, oild and such will require a mechanical permit. Scratches and so on will require BAR approval. Not to mention the things you'll need for chemical storage/disposal.

Far as the detail bsuiness VS economy; detailing a car is a luxury, a detail business should be a luxury business. Luxuries aren't really affected by the economy. This is all assuming you're a good detailer and a good businessman. I Know a few people with very good detail shops and they are still going strong wiht more cars than they can fit into their lots. People really need to stop using the economy as a crutch excuse.

Anywho, opening something similar here in SoCal is realistically looking at a 7 figure sum, i know this personally as my car wash will open in July if all goes well. Although mine isn't a self wash, it does have a detail shop, a market, mechanical bays and hopefully a gas station in the future. I'll also have a few bays out for lease which gives me guaranteed income for the term of the lease. This is something i'd suggest for your future investment should you go through with it. Although my land is bought and not leased so you'd have to see if your lease would allow that.

My uncle is doing essentially the same thing in Las Vegas, i just wish it was as easy here as it is there . . . :nonono:

Sounds like you have a lot on your shoulders.

I won't be building my own car wash, there is a car wash out here that appears to be shut down and I was going to look into it. Everything is fairly new and the location is awesome. Everything is boarded up and the quarter holders are pulled from the machines so it looks like it's going to be sold or something.

There is another one that is not as nice and not in as good of a location out here too that I have my eye on.

7 figures? I can't see this costing me anywhere near that, I guess we'll see though.

:beer:

 

[Common]

Luxuries aren't really affected by the economy. :

Dumbest statement of the thread. Luxuries are the first thing that start feeling the impact. Luxuries are the financial burden viewed as unecessary, they are more often than not, first things to get unloaded.

There is a high end wax guy on viper forums, he claims the exact opposite of your assumption. I also know of a Ferarri/Lambo dealer owner that would disagree with your logic as well.

 

[FordSVTFan]

I don't know why but I have always thought something like this would be cool. There is a car wash in my area that has shut down and I was thinking that if I could somehow get a hold of the place it may be something that I could make work out pretty well.

I am just trying to see if there is anyone else who has gotten themselves into something like this and looking for some feedback.

The thing I think I would like to do is to make it a bit different from your average car wash, I would put my own little detailing booth in there and polish cars and what not as well. I was thinking that I could also sell detail products and install tint too. I would like to take the car wash idea and add to it, maybe make it a more inviting and enjoyable thing to do. Idk I have some crazy ideas that most of you would just laugh at, but it's something I have been throwing around since I saw the place close.

I would appreciate any input, if you would prefer to PM me please do so.

Thank :beer:

Josh

They have places like this all over the Tampa area. Then there are handwash places all over the place that will do complete detail and a bunch do tint as well.

 

[assasyn]

I can put you in touch with the company that makes those set ups. They are one of my customers. If you have seen a stall system, touchless system, air machines at gas stations or 5 gallon water dispensers, they more than likely made it.

 

[SVTsupremecy]

Ive worked at car washes (2) the past 3 years putting myself through college and ive had many conversations with the owner about what we do. The one i work at is a Full wash/detail and state inspection place that is in a great location with lots of apartments nearby and in summer we get water bans, meaning people cant wash thier own cars. so he's got a nice thing going.

However, my boss/owner has 2 self-wash establishments and thats how he got started, and he always says the self-wash places dont do near the business we do at a full service car wash, but the time and effort involved is what makes a self-service wash place so ideal.

So basically I say open a self-service car wash
A. you're new to the business
B. Less time/work AND a smaller investment incase it goes south.
C. its a great starting point.

Just to give you an idea, As the primary ticket writer (salesmen) at this full service wash we would gross roughly $30,000 in wash sales per week. Running about 20-30% labor. Latly its been more like $20,000 with the way the economy is, but thats how the wash business is. Some weeks its $40,000 and some weeks its $10,000...

 

[cranium]

I was pondering that idea as well, but I would not want to be there on location. I would just like it to be all self serve making money for its self while I'm at work.

 

[2003 Silver]

The original place failed with the same idea (minus the added glitz you propose). He failed with bare bones and you expect to win with more glitz/overhead? Let sleeping dogs lie....